Butterflies
by Maramalade
Summary: It's like this... Lily hates James' guts because he thinks he's so perfect but secretly she has the worlds biggest crush on Potter. problem he doesnt know she exsists.
1. The Setting

You know how when you see a rather attractive guy you get those butterflies that make your stomach turn into one giant knot. Well my stomach does that every single time I see him. James Potter.

I wont be first to admit that I like him, seeing as the entire student female population seems to adore the very aspect of his name, much less his broom or his eating habits, it's quick sickening really. No, I see myself as not even the last person on earth who would admit that she liked James Potter. It's not that I wouldn't stand a chance, but I don't see the big fuss over him.

He's good looking, smart, intelligent, top of the class, athletic, humorous as ever especially when he's with the Marauders. James also owns quite a bit of England, that is when his grandfather passes away, but don't ask me how I know this. He has a lot of luck with girls, even has had a date to everything since first year.

I'm not jealous of the girl he's dating at the very moment. Why she is also the top of her class, and has a slim petite figure, and is intelligent above all else as she is also clever, and the best in the potions (but she's not in Slytherin) because if she was James wouldn't dare date her. She's also on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team which in my opinion isn't bad, but yet again does my opinion count?

It didn't count with James until we were in fifth year. That's when I became Prefect, and he wasn't for the first time PERFECT James. Honestly one can get sick of his parading of money, and perfectionism rather quickly. He was rather sore about it too, and especially the time that I awarded him detention for being out in the corridors past nine o'clock. 

He wasn't doing anything like snogging with his current crush Emily Woodsworth, playing a trick on Severeus Snape, or disrupting anyone. He was merely coming back from Quidditch practice. Michael Wood seemed to ran practice late sometimes, because he would get carried away with his prep talks or post practice talks or whatever kind of talk he was giving, it would make the team late in practicing or returning. So as I was prefect then I had to seize the moment, so he would know who I was, so James would know that I actually existed.

Well it was 9:02pm I could've said that my wristwatch was fast or that he had the right time, but I didn't. I wanted to get James in trouble, something he was always seemingly getting into. Remus Lupin had been on Prefect duty with me also, and had seen James and Sirius coming down the corridor , he however claimed that he heard a noise around the corner and went to check on it. I think he just didn't want to be harassed by James and Sirius in the dormitory about being prefect.

"James do you know the time?" I asked simply.

"It's five minutes past nine" he replied talking to Sirius again about how he had made that spectacular save.

"May I ask what time Fifth years are supposed to be in the Common room"

"Bout 9 or so,"

"And you're still outside the common room"

"Well because we've just finished Quidditch Practice, Wood gave us the run around again as usual" snapped Sirius.

"Sirius if you want detention also, I shall be more then happy to give it to you, otherwise shut your mouth"

"Detention? did you just say detention?" choked James. 

Sirius suddenly became interested in the Fat Lady. Lily however argued with James about her assigning him 

detention. 

"I'm talking to McGonagall" said James.

"Oh really? she would be interested in knowing why you were in the corridors at this hour also"

"Look, you, just because you're a prefect doesn't me that you can give me detention when you please"

"I'm not doing it as I please, do you honestly think I enjoy giving detention out to people? NO"

"Oh really, then why didn't you give Sirius detention also? Remus wouldn't have given us detention"

"That's because Remus is your buddy, your friend, your partner in crime, your fellow marauder"

"Evans, don't speak of the marauders like it's something silly as your face is" spat James.

"That's 3 detentions so far would you like it to be everyone this week from after dinner until midnight cleaning the toilets in Slytherin's dungeons, because everyone knows those haven't been touched in fifty years" Lily retorted. she had become red in the face, and very upset indeed.

"I'm going to speak with McGonagall about this you are abusing privileges that Dumbledore foolishly gave you"

"ME? you're just jealous that you weren't mad Prefect this year, and that is was Remus. It's good that you didn't succeed at something, no one is PERFECT James, NO ONE" and she walked off to see Professor Bones about Potter's detention.

"That Evans" was all James could say. Sirius said the password, and entered the common room behind James. Remus appeared a few moments later.

"Remus where were you? I could of used some support from you?" questioned James.

  


"I was in no mood to be the monkey today"

"Even off the battle grounds you're not much help"

"I left, when you two approaching I knew Lily would try to use me to her defense"

"At least he knew she'd use him, she's vile specimen of the female population of this school"

"I have some work to be getting on with so if you'll so kindly as excuse me from your ranting this evening I would be more then very much obliged." said Remus getting up and walking to the Boy's Dormitory.

You think that was the end of that night's encounter with James Potter? I think not. James and Sirius were happily talking alone by corner, no doubt trying to plan a slew of pranks for me. I approached James from behind Sirius saw me coming but said nothing, thankfully. James had 4 detentions with Bones, 2 with Dumbledore, and 1 with McGonagall. It hurt me inside to actually have to tell him that he had 7 detentions.

"James, I've come to tell you where you'll be serving detention"

"Alright just tell me so I can get it over with tomorrow night, and that'll make you happy" he spat still looking something up.

"Well tomorrow you have detention with Professor Bones, you'll be cleaning Slytherin toliets in the dungeons, without magic."

"Without magic? that'll take like four days to do that"

"That's why you have four days of detention with Bones, and then you have two nights of detention with Dumbledore"

"What? Dumbledore! doing what?"

"He'll tell you when you get there, it's after dinner also til midnight"

"Well thank you for informing of my schedule in Hell for the next week"

  


"and you have a detention with McGonagall reviewing, and grading papers"

"Anything else you want to tell me"

At this point Sirius had be thrown into convulsions at the fact that James had managed to land himself in 7 detentions in one night.

"Sirius, I still have time to go arrange detention with McGonagall or Filch if you'd like, I'm sure you can scrub the Trophy room, the Muggle way."

"No thanks, I'll pass, but thanks for the offer"

"Now if you'll excuse me i must be off to bed. Good Night" she said sweetly.

That was the most I had ever talked to James Potter, I think it was a success.


	2. Future Husband

My assigning of detentions to James spread quickly. That was good and then that was bad. James I think really hated me after what I did. But I'm a rule abiding student so I had to give him just punishment for rule-breaking. As Potter had said, he was going to McGonagall to try and weasel himself out of detention for 7 nights in a row, but he made no progress with her. Wood and Potter had had a row about the detentions and as a result James was put on probation for insulting the team captain, and given another detention by the Ravenclaw Prefect who was doing corridor duty, and just happen to see him talking to his girlfriend, not even doing anything wrong. Potter was not in a good mood when he came into the common room. 

He hounded me directly. He accused me of telling the other Prefects to be watching his behavior, and to give him a detention for whatever reason. I told him that couldn't be true because I hadn't talked to any of the other Prefects since the night before. I hadn't gone to any meals, and that was something I didn't plan on doing anytime soon, i was studying for my OWL's evil things they were. 

The last night that James detention, one week later. He came up to me, and did the nicest thing I have ever heard him or seen him do. Apologize to me. I was simply left speechless. I also checked around me to make sure he was talking to me and not someone else. Nope he was talking to me, and what was worse, he said he wanted to get to know me a little better. Immediately that set off warning signs and bells inside my mind, and I refused. I said that I couldn't talk to him because I didn't see reason to. James I don't think quite understood, and I'm glad because later on if I do decide to talk to him, It would be a lot easier to.

Halloween. The favorite season of the magical community. James had as usual about 6 girls following him to class everyday for two weeks. I wasn't one of them, I just happened to get caught in the mist of it all on accident, I would be waiting outside in the queue for class and the next thing I knew he was in front of me with his fan club. Oh how I despised that boy, yet liked him all the same. 

He did the unthinkable. He smiled. at me. let me put that together for you so you can better understand me. James Potter smiled at me. I of course acted as if I hadn't seem him do so. Just the other day he hung Severus Snape upside down in the middle of our morning break. Boy did I give him a telling to. honestly Severus has always been nice to me, I don't see why James must pick on him so much. James isn't a very open minded person when it comes to those sorts of things. I think he thinks that if someone's no good, then everyone thinks they're no good.

I still had the biggest crush on James. My best friend Landra Seamore knew so. I hadn't told her for fear of ridicule from her, but somehow she had figured out that I had a crush on James maybe it was the way I would talk about giving him detention or how I would just be stuck on him, and how he was just so stupid, and dense. I didn't talk about him like most girls did in any case. He was just the IMPERFECT PERFECT James Potter after all.

Two days before the Halloween Ball, Lily did something very stupid. She asked James if she could have a word with the busy Potter. First off, James was very reluctant to come near her, seeing as the last few times he had talked to her, he had been given detention or scolded. 

"Yes, Evans?"

"i wanted to ask you something."

"I was in the common room last night way before 9pm if that's what you're getting at"

"no no, I.. James.. it's like this..'

"uh, what did I do wrong?"

"James, I'd liktobyourdattodebal"

"Come again?"

"I'd like to go to the ball with you, I mean that is if you dont already have a date, oh what am I saying you do it's Emily Woodsworth, oh James just forget about what I just said" she sputtered and left him confused as hell on the spot. James looked at the spot where she stood one moment and then stood the next. He then about faced then walked back to where Sirius was sitting in Potions.

That day was just the beginning of the end. I had never felt so stupid in my life actually no, I had but we wont go into detail about that event. I ran to most of my classes. I was the first there and the first to leave. I sat at the very front, and ignored any comment that was made from him or his friends. Remus chose to sit next to me in Transfiguration. He was my partner our Vanishing Spells, I finished practicing on my rabbit, and began on my essay for History of Magic.

The day of the ball was, I think if possible, even worse. I was minding my own business, I had been immersed in a book called "Moby Dick" I was about on page 408 halfway thru the page when I saw a shadow approach me. This was it i thought, he's come to make a fool out of me, by telling me how stupid i was to even think about asking him to the ball. I buried myself deeper in the book and tried to crouch lower into the couch so I could almost be the couch. It didn't work.

"Lily" said a girls' voice and it wasn't Landra's. 

"Yes?" I said not turning around in fear that it would be none other the Emily.

"Can you look at me while I'm talking to you?" she asked in a falsely sweet tone. that was her alright, Emily Woodsworth, her parents were nearly as filthy rich as James'. Lily slowly turned around, gulping.

"Oh, Emily.. hello." she said pretending to act as if she didn't know it was Emily in the first place.

"Hello, yes,.. let's get to the point. James told me that you so foolish asked him to the ball? Now Lily I was under the impression that you hated James, am I correct?"

"I don't fancy him if that's what you want to know. I find him an arrogant, selfish, no good money parading prat"

"You did not just insult my future husband"

'Excuse me, did you just say you were going to marry him?" sputtered Lily.

"Uh yes I did, now if you'd kindly not ask my boyfriend to be your date anymore, I think we'd be thru chatting."

"Look, I'm not trying to take away James' precious attention from you that would be the last thing in the world that I would want to do"

"Then why ask if you already knew that I was dating James"

"I did it as a joke"

"A joke? that wasn't a very good laugh" she said not at all convinced.

"I know, I'm a horrible person at jokes" said Lily laughing slightly more to herself then anyone. She looked nervously for an escape.

"well, I think you'd better learn, otherwise you would just not be cut of for the direction you headed in"

"What do you mean?"

"The Circus, you wont be much of a use if you can't make people laugh, honestly, if I'm going to take my kids to the Circus to see clowns you had better make them laugh"

"Oh well, I suppose I should, but I think learning to take care of my face would my priority" retorted Lily. at this point Remus and Sirius had walked into the Library. 

"Look, Evans you can take that comment and shove it up you ass" 

Lily was shocked, she didn't know whether to punch her or give her a weeks worth detentions cleaning dirt and bugs off the dungeon floors. Instead Lily swallowed hard and stood up, barely coming to Emily's chin. 

"Emily, it would be wise on your part if you didn't tell me to shove anything up my bum, again"

"oh really? what are you going to do? give me a weeks worth of detentions, like James?"

I didn't really care what happened to me, because the next moment I jumped on Emily and punched her in the mouth. I think I knocked a tooth loose in her perfect smile. She didn't know what to do but scream while I punched her in the eye again, and pulled her hair. Sirius and Remus tried to pull me off but not after i kicked her hard in the stomach. I was breathing rather heavily when I was pulled from her mess of a face. It then hit me, I would be expelled of released of Prefect duties. 'Oh No' I thought, I didn't do what I just did. I ran out of the Library and straight to Dumbledore's office.

I sat in his office for what seem eternity. I sulked. I pouted. I thought. I did this all over something so stupid that James wouldn't have even done it. I had sunken to a level lower then James. I really had to just move on, he was making me act way too rash. honestly the boy hates my guts, and doesn't really know anything about me other then I'm Lily Evans, and that he hates me. Apparently I just said that last part out loud because Dumbledore gave a small sign of agreement, which made me jump as I didnt know that he was in the room with me.

"Headmaster, I want to fully apologize for what I did, and I accept all consequences, and responsibilities for all the damages I may have caused to Emily's face" she said so fast that she rethought what she had just said.

"Lily, I know that you are not a irrational student, So I will just issue you a very fair warning along with a detention with me for 3 nights, this way none of the students shall have to give you reason for you temper to flare again, exp. that young Potter"

"thank you Headmaster, it won't happen again, I don't know what happened to me, honestly,... thank you very much." she said thanking him profusely.

I walked back into the Common room still paled faced. I had expected immediately hounding from James. 

Nothing.

I was at the top of the stairs, and nothing came from him. Not a single peep. I was still in a state of shock. I slowly crept into bed not wanting to really remember or relive this day ever again.


	3. Horrible things

I laid in my bed for I don't know how long. Landra brought me some lunch around noon. She was really good about not commenting. I thanked her, set the food down, and merely rolled over again.

I didn't get out of bed until about 4pm. I was a Saturday afternoon and I could hear the cheers of a really long Quidditch game going on. I think Gryffindor was playing however I had no interest in going. I had no one that I felt I needed to cheer on. I felt so miserable but Emily deserved it, every single bit of it. I actually wish I had cursed her rather then hitting her, I think it would have done more damage somehow. I convinced myself I needed to get some homework finished, and I could best accomplish it in the library.

After walking to the library I planted myself in a far corner away from everyone. I started pouring over my potions homework. Professor Snape had assigned a rather nasty essay on "The effects of Versitisum and how it was originally intended to be a potion for memory modifying". I didn't understand the topic but I figured that I may as well just do it.

I sat intent on finishing this essay. I wasn't going to go to the Halloween Ball. I figured I had made myself look like an idiot well enough. Landra came by to try and persuade me, she said that it would be fun to just be with friends and have a grand time. How wrong she was I couldn't go there, I didn't have a dress, I told her. She said she could fix that quickly. I tried to tell her I wasn't feeling well. She said that I was just avoiding the truth. The truth was that I didn't want to be near James or Emily or anything to do with them. Landra finally gave up but asked if I would at least go to dinner with her. FINE I said exhausted of that stupid essay. I gave in. I gave in to a good thing I soon came to find out.

I walked to the Great Hall. I found it to be rather empty no one there. The food was practically gone. 'Great' I thought, 'I get leftovers'. I sat down and promptly took out my charms homework. I was practicing a complicated apparition charm on my glass when it just blew up. I looked over my shoulder. Emily. Oh dear I thought it was her, she made it blow up. I turned around muttered a cleaning spell, and gathering my things I tripped. "Oh my life just gets even better with every step" I told myself. Lily get up right now and walked gracefully out that door. By this point Emily felt she needed to just top off what she had been doing by doing this horrible thing. Now before I tell you, I must admit, Emily is envious of my hair. She told me so way back we were friends. That is ancient history. As you can probably imagine she did something to my hair. Yes. She cut it all off with one quick flick of her wrist. I was horrified. I welled inside with anger.

James appeared angered also, this surprised me. I thought he would have sought some type of satisfaction. Apparently not because he not only did something unexpected he apologized on her behalf.

I wasn't sure which thing I was more stunned at, the fact that she had just cut off 12 inches of my hair or James apologizing. I felt helpless. Like a weight sinking into the darkness of a lake.

I don't remember much I remember waking up in the hospital wing a bit confused as to what had happened. James and Landra along with Dumbledore were standing around my bed. I sat up thoroughly baffled.

"What happened?" I said.

James looked at the ceiling and then answered, "you fainted"

"I did?"

"Yes" said Dumbledore "I think it was from being overwhelmed"

"Well, I feel okay now"

"Are you sure, Lily?" asked Landra. She was all dressed for the ball, as was Dumbledore but James was still in his robes. This puzzled me. Dumbledore and Landra left. James was still there staring out the window, now

"James, why are you dressed for the Ball?"

"I didn't want to go"

"Oh, come now, you really expect me to believe that?"

"Well, it was worth a shot"

"Well, I think I'm going to go back to my dormitory and get ready for bed. I feel a bit tired." said Lily getting up.

"Wait,"

"Yes?"

"I.. Well.. Okay.. Nevermind" he sputtered opening the door and walking away.


	4. Sunflowers, Lilys, and Orchids

Now Lily was completely baffled. "What on earth did he want to tell me?" she pondered as she finished brushing her teeth. It was 8 o'clock and Lily was in her night gown, there was always next year to go to the Ball.

Meanwhile in the Great Hall, James sat unhappily along the wall with Sirius and Remus, as Emily sat on the other side of James trying to make him laugh. It was working, so she gave up frustrated that he was being a rather mean person, and resorted to telling him that he at least was the most handsome guy she had ever laid eyes upon.

Nothing. Not a single movement came from James. He got up right as the song ended walked briskly as if he was going to get something drink but instead made for the door. Emily was confused, but she didn't press the matter.

"Sirius, what's gotten into him?" she asked. Sirius however ignored her and remained sitting contently thinking of whatever it was he thought.

"SIRIUS! I'm talking to you!" she harped.

"What? What??" he replied thoroughly annoyed.

" I was asking you what was wrong with James, I'm worried about him, he hasn't been acting right"

"Oh would you relax, James can handle himself, you think too much" snapped Sirius.

"Emily, it's okay, Sirius just means that James'll come around by morning, he's just in a bit of a pickle at the moment that's all." added Remus.

"What does HE have to be in a pickle about?" she demanded?

" Sirius, you're medicine come on let's go?" said Remus quickly avoiding Emily's death gaze and grabbing Sirius who was confused but caught on quickly.

"Right, bloody thing that's twice I would have forgotten. We'll be back Emily" Sirius said as he and Remus walked out the doors and toward an empty cupboard.

"Remus, what the bloody hell?"

"I know I forgot, I didn't think before I spoke."

"You're bloody right you forgot. I wonder what James'll do when Emily asks him speaking of which where did he run off to?"

"To see Lily, I suppose" said Remus.

Back in the Common Room.

James sat down in front of the fire. Safe for now. Emily wont bother me right now, she knows better. The clocked tolled 9 times. Once for every letter in her name. L-I-L-Y E-V-A-N-S.

"alright, now what do I do? I got myself into this bloody hell of a mess. I need to get out, think James think. No good. I've been dating Emily for 3 years. I don't regret those year however I feel I need change. Yes that's it I'll tell her, that I need change, Emily that is, well Lily too, but I don't know how she would take that. Oh stop it James you're confusing yourself. I like this Evans girl. Yes she did give me a WEEKS worth of detentions but I was deserving of said punishment. James you are going to walk up to her room and knock it right now."

James took a deep breath the worst thing that could happen would be her saying she didn't want to talk, he convinced himself.

Lily sat in her room really confused. She tried concentrating on her work but it wasn't doing her any good. James stood outside her door contemplating whether or not to knock. He had a bouquet of Sunflowers, Lilies, and Orchids. Just then Remus came running up the stairs and he conveniently tripped right into Lily's door. Lily jumped up knocking over her ink and quill.

"Oh bloody hell, First years running around, I don't want to give detentions tonight" she said as she was cleaning up the mess. James and Remus had slid into the corner doorway waiting to see if she opened the door.

"Remus" James hissed. "you great prat she could have seen me? Worse yet, she would have seen these!"

"Never mind that, I accidently told Emily that you were in a bit of a pickle"

"so..?"

"She wants to know why and I think she has an idea"

"Well, stifle that idea because there isn't any reason for her to think something is up"

"Well you did leave the Great Hall without telling anyone why James"

"I don't feel I need to tell everyone what I'm doing"

"James, just be careful, you're impulses are going to really get you up a creek one day"

"Oh hush, you sound like my mother now" said James irritated with his decision to come see Lily maybe it was a bad idea.

"Remus, I'm going to go to the Great Hall, I don't know what I was thinking just now, I'm going to the WC I'll meet you there okay?"

"alright" Remus said watching James walk into the WC, then turning around himself to head to the Great Hall, only to run into Lily with her wand pointed.

"Lily, hello, how are you?" he said rather nervously.

"What are you doing on the girls floor?" he asked, with eyes narrowed.

"I, thought I saw Emily up here" he lied.

"Emily is in Hufflepuff why would she be in the GRYFFINDOR common room?" she asked suspiciously

"I thought the same exact thing, and it ended up being Landra"

"She's at the Ball"

"She was obviously not because I know I saw her" he said slowly walking down the stairs.

"Anyways you should get to where you belong, on the BOYS floor. Thank you very much"

Remus turned around and immediately bolted for the Great Hall.

"Boys are so clueless, I know exactly what's going on, he was talking to James, I know he was"

James stood behind the door listening. Lily stood on the other side wondering. They both reached for the door knob...

Lily pulled as James pushed causing him to run into her face first.

"Oh, James? I, I'm sorry" she said quickly reaching to close the door. James grabbed the flowers, opened the door, thrust the flowers into Lily's hands and walked down the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"to detention as you've so well put me!" he snapped slamming the Fat Lady shut.

Lily felt her stomach turn to knots.

"I knew I shouldn't have given him so many detentions, dratted me"

Lily quickly pulled on her robe and slippers and chased down the corridor after him.

"James! James! Wait, I give you permission to skip detention."

"what? Why? You don't even like me, what's come over you?'

"James, it's not that, I just regret giving you anything, I wanted to introduce myself, I thought maybe if I did something different to get your attention that you would know I existed"

"I knew you existed already, you made a complete fool out of yourself by assigning me detention like that."

"Well, I've surmised as much. Those are nice flowers, were the supposed to be Emily?"

This caught James off guard.

"no, they weren't, I felt bad about what Emily did, cutting your hair off and all."

"Hair always grows back but thank you James" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and walked back into her dorm room.

Lily sat down to work on her essay from 'Grandfather Snape' as many had dubbed him. He was well liked by all the students and professors, and was rather ashamed of his slimeball grandson that attended Hogwarts for reasons unknown of course.

AUTHOR"S NOTE

Thank you for catching me, I completely forgot that Snape wasn't the potions professor yet. hehe. so I fixed it!


	5. Fusion of Feelings

James just couldn't keep up with everything that was going on around him for the next few weeks, it seemed. He would be caught in the middle of Charms day dreaming and Professor Wizzle would use an invisible tickling charm to wake him. Sirius and Remus seemed to not understand what was going on, according to James. Who knew what James thought lately, he blew Emily off at the slightest thought that Lily might see him. He was torturing himself with thoughts of Lily. James wanted to be something that just wasn't happening.

Lily seemed to be in a bit of a fix herself too. She couldn't seem to concentrate in Transfiguration and Professor McGonagall secretly knew what the reason was. Lily hadn't produced a proper hex, jinx, counter-jinx, or charm for weeks. Professor Wizzle resorted to using her famous tickling jinx whenever miss Potter would avoid doing work. Lily would skip meals and she hid in her room, she didn't go to Hogsmeade weekends and she refused to be in the corridors as much as possible. Normally Lily would pipe up and take on extra rounds for other Prefects with extra last minutes that prevented them from their duties however, Lily avoided this at all cost.

Dumbledore had indeed noticed all of this behavior. He could only wait until Lily or James was ready to come forward for his advice. Emily had already gone on a rant about James about how much he had changed and she was worried for him. Dumbledore assured her that it was only a phase and that James would sure return to his normal, charismatic self.

There was to be a small ball on Friday evening. James had told Emily that there was Quidditch until late in the evening so he wasn't going. However, she did not take this new very well and made her point quite clear the Thursday morning before the ball was due to take place.

"James, dear, how are you?" asked Emily sitting down next to him. James shot Sirius a look of loathing and then replied, "I'm just grand"

"Oh, and why is that?" She said spreading jam on a biscuit.

"I have Quidditch practice till about 10 on Friday evening"

Emily stopped what she was doing.

"You what?"

"Quidditch practice, it's on the ruddy thing I do around here anymore"

"yes it is, you never make time to spend it with me ever since Evans assigned you detentions."

"that's ridiculous, I've been caught up in make up work and Quidditch because of her, this is why I have no time for you aside from the very little I can spend with you" said James.

"James, you are going to the Ball with me Friday evening and I will hear no word against it, Have a good day in class" as she got up and walked over to the Ravenclaw table.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" asked Sirius

"I think James here, was told what he had to do on Friday night"

"I thought we were going to break into Wizzle's cupboard and get pissed off our rockers?" whispered Sirius.

"apparently that plan was nixed last night at dinner, Sirius" said James a bit irritated.

"oh" Sirius' looked put-out.

"I'm going to the common room, I'm not up for Wizzle's tickling hex for the 13th time" said James.

"Right, see you" Said Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

Really, the Marauders knew exactly what was going thru James' mind. James had to break up with Emily before it did him in. James sat in his favorite chair near the fire, in a foul-sullen mood. He thought and thought about how it would be grand to end things with Emily. It had just became too much to enjoy because he had to deal with everything else. She didn't get 2 weeks worth of detentions in a row, she wasn't behind like mad in all her schoolwork and she wasn't on the Quidditch team. He thought about forming a plan to make sure he didn't go to the ball but he couldn't come up with anything. He had used the whole go home to see his ailing grandmother too much, Remus wasn't due to change until the following weekend. He furrowed his brow, and adjusted the pillows so he could sleep until lunch, he could handle potions but charms was just too much.

Lily appeared at the top of the entrance of the girl's dormitory. She had slept in for the third time this week. Professor Wizzle was going to be furious with her. She would have to go after dinner for make up lessons. As she dashed down the stairs, she tripped and all of her books went in every direction possible. One book landed on James' lap waking him with a start. Lily froze with embarrassment. James just looked at the book, the stairs where Lily stood, and back to the book in his lap. Then, as if it hit her, Lily burst into tears. James, wide-eyed, didn't know what to do. He instead laid back down and covered his face with a pillow. Lily wiped her tears, cleaned her mess, and left the common room.

"that was your chance, you dolt" exclaimed Remus.

"You think so? I felt so bad, she looked so red in the face, I didn't say anything"

"James! James!"

He turned around to where the voice was coming from. It was Emily. She looked gleeful.

"I've just had a chat with your Quidditch Captain and she said she's canceled practice Friday evening, you can come to the Ball after all" she said excitedly.

"Oh you see, there's a bit of conflict now. Mum's just sent me an owl and said I have to come home this weekend, Grandmum's getting worse and she doesn't look like she'll make it to Christmas Holiday." Said James with a look of sympathy from Emily.

"Oh, James, I'm so sorry. It's slipped my mind about your Grandmum, I do apologize." she said sadly. "I understand if you wont be attending the ball."

"I knew you'd be a sport about the issue, I'll send your best to Grandmum." pecking her on the cheek and walking towards the pitch.

As soon as Emily was out of earshot, James began ranting. " Remus, I can't handle her anymore, it's the whole I want everything from you James bit that has me in a right state"

"Mate, if it's so bad just end it, I think she would understand" said Sirius

"No, I can't she'll think that it'll have something to do with Lily, and that reminds me today in the common room, Lily had a sort of fit, well I think. I was asleep for a good bit of it. I only woke up when her book came flying into my lap…"

Lily just so happened to be behind him in the corridor.

"Funny Potter, why don't you go hex Severus? Jerk" she said furiously.

James looked at Remus and then to Sirius with a look of _she's off her rocker._

She is probably upset because she slept in and has to go to make up sessions" said Remus

"I dont care, she shouldn't cop that attitude with me" stated James.

Sirius looked ahead there was Severus consoling Lily.

"hey, we've got Snivelly at 12 o'clock and he's with Lily"

James didnt know what he wanted to do versus what he should do.

"I would just walk by because you might upset her and she'll assign detention you tomorrow night, and you're supposed to be going home Friday, remember?" said Remus.

"yeah, you're right lets go this way" said James.

And so they detoured around Lily and Snape.


End file.
